More Surgery ...

2/9/2016 - Friends, Rees had surgery AGAIN yesterday ... no, I am not kidding ... yes, this is for real! So, we are in ICU and Rees has been pretty much out of it since coming out of surgery. He sat up twice but did not wake up really. The nurse came in a short while ago and tried to rouse him but he is not budging. He would squeeze her hands upon request and move his legs/feet but refused to open his eyes. Right now he has a fever of 101.8F and they are going to give him a fever reducer intravenously since he is not awake.

The surgeons did NOT find a leak or the source of what they are claiming is CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) but they did remove quite a bit of fluid once they removed the front portion(s) of his skull. They created a couple of flaps and folded them over (no, I do not exactly understand this and I sure wish I would record the surgeon when he speaks to us) to protect the inside of Rees' nasal area and to hopefully prevent any fluid from building up and draining through the incision that is trying to heal. In addition, they added a couple stitches on the inside that actually pulled the eyes a little closer together and, again, I don't really understand it, but it is also supposed to help.

His heart rate is elevated this evening, which could be due to pain, agitation or his fever so they are monitoring him closely. There is now a drain inserted behind his ear and there has been fluid draining into the tube and so hopefully this is fluid that WON'T build up inside and make trouble for all the healing that is trying to take place.

Haven't taken any photos this afternoon or evening but I will tomorrow. I just keep reminding myself, especially as I peruse facebook and read about the troubles of others, I am reminded again that there is always something to worry about. That isn't likely going to change, right? But the fact that God is sovereign and still in control isn't going to change either. He loves Rees ... more than I will ever be able to ... He knows what Rees needs ... always ... and no matter what the doctors do, ... God is the Healer and He makes His move at just the right time.

2/10/2016 - It's about 24 hours after Rees' 3rd surgery in 3 weeks and we have been moved out of the ICU now and back onto the regular floor.  We are thankful for that!!   Rees has been very groggy and solemn.  His head, face and eyes are swollen again, so much so that he cannot open his eyes.  So, at this point, we are at the same spot we were three weeks ago after the first surgery. 

Today is Rees' 6th birthday, his first birthday with our family.  We will be celebrating his and Jonah's birthdays together with our annual Chinese New Year celebration ... hopefully as we originally planned.  He really isn't in the party mood today but the nurses and Child Life specialists here at Children's Hospital really wanted to do as much as they could to make Rees feel special today.  When he feels better, we will be able to show him all the wonderful things they did for him.  Because of our multiple stays in the hospital lately, Rees has come to love Mickey Mouse so he was given a Mickey Mouse stuffed toy, a Mickey Mouse meReader, and a bag full of other Mickey fun things that I haven't really looked at yet.  They also made him several "Happy Birthday" signs.  Dr. Denny and his staff also came in to sing the birthday song to Rees.  

They removed his catheter, ART line and the drain that was inserted behind his ear.  Those are happy milestones! Rees has started eating and has even walked with assistance to use the toilet.  Tomorrow, we will get him up walking around more.  He is just so sleepy today.  So is this Mama ... here are a couple photos to keep you until the next post.  God bless.

This photo was taken this morning ...

This photo was taken just prior to this post.  You can see that Rees' left eye is already losing some of the swelling and looking a little better.  Hooray for small victories!!  He hasn't seen it ... but he can feel his new Mickey Mouse plush.  

So sweet!